Randy Kreill is an ultra runner who loves his Xero Shoes.
This is the tying style he came up with for his races.
First, a few tying tips and notes:
Tying the Lace knot:
This is the knot we most commonly use, especially with our 100% polyester laces.
The “Lace Bead”:
This is the smallest “knot” you can make for your Xero Shoes.
Tying a Figure-8 knot:
If you have our original laces with the nylon core, you’ll want to use this knot.
Lacing tips:
The basic running sandal tying pattern
Randy’s Marathon Tying Style
Step-by-Step instructions coming soon!
99% of the time that’s because the heel strap is too loose.
I *think* I may have responded to this… heel slipping is almost always a function of the heel strap being too loose.
Did he run it on the 6mm or 4mm soles?
I’m running my 2nd marathon (Pittsburgh) in a few months. I was training barefoot (up to about 5 or 6 miles) until Winter came, then it was Luna sandals (6mm + 2mm leather footbed). But I’ve had issues with their ATS laces tearing my feet up.. and 8mm is a little too thick for me, so I’m gonna give the Xero’s a try! I’m leaning toward the 4mm.. hmm.. :/
I can’t remember if Randy runs in his 4mm or 6mm… find him on Facebook and ask.
He said 4mm for Marathon and tech trails, 6mm for trails with alot of sharp rocks. I’m impressed that the 4mm is practical for the Marathon, and especially all the training that goes with it! Can’t wait to try ’em!
I especially like this style on those rare occasions when I wear socks. I find the heel loop would fall down on the minimalist styles when I had socks on. This holds the heel loop in place in all situations and feels very secure on loose ground.
after tying and retying this style multiples of times through much frustration, I think I finally got it without my foot slipping off the back during a short run. The trick it seems is not leaving so much room for the heel, but put your foot on the shoe and pull the back loop as tight as you would want it, also not leaving too much lace for the thong. Finally beginning to train ‘barefoot’ for a 5k!
finally got this lace to work, very frustrating but I am determined to rid of my shin splints by barefoot running! It just fuels me more when my parents or anyone else pokes fun at me for wearing these “Jesus sandals”.
Many thanks to Randy for this cool pattern and his very clear tying instructions.
I just did a first road test (running) and like others here had problems with my right heel slipping off the inside edge of the sandal. Obviously I need to experiment with the tensioning of the various parts. Also, looking at the video again, I realize that I didn’t have the thumb knot in the lace that Randy refers to at about 0:40, which might help to keep the heel strap from becoming too loose.